hyderaBAD!!

In Hyderabad after a gap of two years and lo behold! - it has changed quite a bit for the worse!
Back in the day when I used to live here( a born and brought up in Hyderabad girl)and had my friends and relatives visiting from the U.S of A, I'd always find their statements, observations, opinions, call it what you may- about the way hyderabad's changed a little to "firangi" . I mean how much can a place change in such short a span?!?!
Now that I myself have been away for 2 years now, I can see for myself how it has changed... No- the roads, old familiar hangout zones, the buildings, the overall infrastructure seems to remain the same...
 What has changed is the sudden sea of humanity- just when did so many peopl decide to make this city their home!? We Hyderabadi's  are known for our complete lack of common sense and traffic sense- breaking and or bending rules is our birthright ! What I failed to account for is our sense of perfection- that we can be so perfectly lawless and senseless is something I witness now...
Earlier Hyderabad had some distinction of being a clean and green city- now it may as well be called the dirty, dusty, dry and super sad city... I am truly pained at seeing Hyderabad, and India as a whole in such a pathetic state. 
Two years ago there was some semblance of law, order, enforcement and discipline- now we lazy hyderabadi's just decided to do away with it totally- car seat belts no longer seem important, neither does helmets. We never had lane discipline but now we do not even have a 'side' discipline as it were- the manner in which I had to witness oncoming vehicles on my side of the road compelled me to stop and wonder if a two way road was made one way!!!
The city seems to be in an utter state of neglect- what with the powers that be, preoccupied with other apparently important and obviously unimportant  matters; with the ruling government, the opposition and other wanna be parties engaging in mudslinging, destruction and money squandering activities , with students and politicians allowed to indulge in vandalism, with the absolute abuse of power becoming a routine- can Hyderabad be anything but BAD...
Whoever named the city sure foresaw the state of affairs the city would land into!!

the MOM-ME :)

Even before I realise, another 6 months have gone by...
obviously my new role as a mother leaves me with very little time to do my basic chores, blogging is a distant luxury!
Its amazing what all God can do... the whole process of giving birth; of bringing a whole new individual into this world is, in one word- magical!
the changes a pregnant lady has to undergo practically every moment- physical, mental and emotional is mind boggling!
from being excited, to being super tired to being down in the dumps and suddenly all energetic - its a journey of all possible emotions life has to offer in just those 9 months!!!
from my earlobe to my little toe, there was nothing that did not change for that little bundle of joy growing within me.
and now that my little boy is already 8 months old it seems like just the other day i was pregnant- experiencing all the changes that came my way.
the whole process of becoming a mom was fantastic, and now the 8 months of being a mom was challenging and fun...
a life long journey ensues and I'm only waiting for all the excitement and endless happiness coming my way :))
to all the mothers there- enjoy the journey and thank you for being there!
ciao!

a whole year gone by...

phew! realised my last post was in feb 2011!!! almost a year since i even looked at my blog!
so what kept me so preoccupied ??? well i gave my bar exam- which i did not clear by a whisker of a margin... then a trip to sfo with cousins...
and then embarked on a whole new journey- 9 months of preparing,nurturing and experiencing my baby to be... 9 months of being pregnant just went by, managed somehow- just me and my husband and our kid to be....
include in those 9 months a trip to montreal>> toronto>> niagara falls> michigan- for a wedding in the family; another trip to sfo- again with cousins and friends this time; my driving license exam and yoga classes- prenatal and belly dancing included.... has been one helluva ride- fun, tiring, challenging...
towards the end of my pregnancy, my mom's arrival- some shopping with her and last minute fooling around as it were as a wife and daughter...
early december- stepped into my new role as mother :) a mom to a cute little boy:)
managing to sneak in this post while my bundle of joy is contently asleep :)
more to come....
ciao!

Exams!!

this 5 letter word connotes the same meaning and evokes the same feeling across the globe- whether the students are young or old, whether its an important degree exam, an entrance exam or a mere driving exam- passing an exam feels good, obviously! but better than that is the feeling when u finish an exam!!!
just got done writing a 6 hour 3 day long exam- and this feeling of being relieved is something ive Never felt before... and what i did observe while we were waiting for our papers to be collected is that no matter the age, the feeling of an exam being done is that of an exam being done with..PERIOD! irrespective of the age - it transcends.... i had in that room along with me an age group ranging from mid 20's- to easily mid 50's or older!!!
for now im still soaking in the feeling :)
cheers!

mmmhhh...

been a while since i blogged... for some apparently unknown reason i just seem to be disinterested in alot of things... hence i no longer pursue activities that used to interest me... like listening to music day in and out, singing, reading occasionally, blogging occasionally, just chilling out and not worrying about the future,- taking each day as it comes..
circa 1990's- 2003( school- degree college)- i was a fun loving person...not ambitious, not really planning about the future & worrying what course to take, what do i become,career etc etc... the word STRESS was no where in my dictionary! i used to take each day as it came, oblivious to the pressure around me in doing something great in terms of academics and career... not getting upset for trivial things and certainly not worrying about the near future forget the distant future! i was always POSITIVE, CHEERFUL, COOL, EASY GOING and HAPPY!
circa 2003- till date-- i have gradually turned out to be this worrying, getting unnerved with just about anything,slightly pessimistic 'old' person... i do not do the things that interest me anymore- or put differently i probably dont enjoy it the way i used to before... i worry for every single thing these days... i seem to have forgotten the 5 golden words that used to once be a description for me-- " just- sit - back and relax!" i hate the fact that ive become this way and always sit wondering what went wrong and where... that one step that made me from what i was to what i am :((
sometimes i just wish we were still in the period of the 90's - where there was not so much competition, so much madness, so much STRESS!
where our moms and dads used to work their fixed hours and come home with enough sanity to spend time with family- where there was something called family life- laughter, enjoyment and bonding!
now people work crazy hours, 'flexible' hours which only flex the hours beyond the working hours..where thanks to the black berries and iphones and call it what you may, one is working and booked 25/8....
no im not saying all this as working professional- i guess god is being kind to me :D have been a student for some yrs now and not yet taken the plunge...
but i say this seeing my so many friends, relatives who work mad hours... the IT sector i think is the new industrial sector in dire need of some legislation- like the blue collared workers, these white collared workers work long hours with no overtime or compensatory offs, may not be in subhuman conditions such as infrastructure, but subhuman in the sense of there being no night and day--- its only WORK all day-- impossible deadlines and impossible clients and the added globalization that makes people work during their time zone as well as the clients time zone- but are paid only for one time zone! sigh!
india can we go back to the 1990's???

expect the unexpected....

so, for someone like me, who plans and plans and plans (according to some friends) and one who absolutely takes life as it comes( according to family)- ( yes i am quite a paradox! ) this aspect of life was certainly unexpected and not whole heartedly acceptable! so yes i like routine, i like to know wat lies ahead to a certain extent and yet in some other instances such as education and career am laid back. so coming to the part i like to know- shifting to the US of A, albeit for a temporary period of time was certainly not on the cards... the thought of staying sooooooooooo far away from loved ones was unfathomable... and here i am...so many miles and miles away :( so got married and then husband had to shift here on assignment and hence here i am... the clock goes back all over again- everything new, marriage new (:P), place new, culture new, currency new, lifestyle new,setting up home new, and a million other things NEW!
just as i was feeling happy that "STUDIES" have finally come to an end, here i am again... studying, wondering wat to do now... new country, new requirements- so here i start from the scratch- again! phew!!!
the hustle bustle back home- the comfort and support of family, friends and relatives... the festivities and the LIFE is simply incomparable !!! nothing can even come close... for all those who love being here good for you... for me life is where parents are... no doubts about that one.... and whatever people might crib and complain about India- theres nothing like it..... !! every country has its good and bad, so whatever fits the bill....
longing to get back...
country roads take me home to the place i belong....

graduated!

after 5 seemingly endless years, i finally, am done with my studies- am now a proud degree holder in the MASTERS OF LAW(LL.M)... had my convocation last saturday- all robed in the ceremonial robes, in an event marked with just the required amount of sobriety and attended by family. an event i was so longing for had finally arrived and done with :) needless to say it was the happiest moment. the fact that i was graduating from a top law school only added to the joy!!!
its strange that sometimes, infact most of the times, you realise the value of things only later- i cribbed and sulked as long as i was studying my LL.M, but as i was sitting there waiting for my turn to take my degree, i realised what a learning and experience the college had given me, apart from the 'brand name'.
even though what you see is not always you get from top schools- there is always something good in the whole seemingly annoying culture, as i have myself realised very lately...
all in all as i look back - the degree was worth everything!!!